Generally, tissue box dispensers consist of a top wall, four side walls and a bottom wall. There are two basic types of tissue dispensers: the flat carton and the upright carton. In the former type, the tissues are laid out flat on the bottom of the carton and are dispensed through an aperture, opening or slit on the top of the carton or on the top which partially extends down to the side wall. Inside the carton, the tissues may be interfolded or laid on top of one another. In upright cartons, however, the tissues are folded into an inverted "U" -shaped clip, which provides for pop-up dispensing. The aperture or opening for dispensing the tissues is generally in the top of the carton, which also may contain a thin plastic film to hold the popped-up tissue in place, and a slit permitting removal of the tissues.
There are a number of problems associated with withdrawing tissues through apertures in cartons. Tearing of the tissue sheets upon withdrawal from the carton often occurs, especially the first few sheets dispensed, due to frictional forces and pressures of the wall of the carton against the compressed tissues within the inverted U-shaped clip. Such tearing results in a withdrawn tissue that is not aesthetically pleasing and often is unusable. This problem is an even greater concern when the fabric of the tissue is weak.
Another problem with upright cartons is finding a suitable aperture width and shape. In this regard, it is desirable to make the aperture sufficiently wide and/or flexible so that the user is able to insert his or her fingers to access the first tissue, while making the opening narrow enough to maintain the tissue following the withdrawn tissue in a popped-up position. Such a popped-up presentation allows greater ease of access to the tissue sheets following the first dispensed sheet and provides a more aesthetic appearance to the tissue box.
However, most known openings which facilitate access to the first tissue also create the additional problem that more than one tissue sheet is withdrawn at one time. This is especially true when the tissues in the box are interfolded, or when such interfolded sheets are tab-results connected. The withdrawal of more than one sheet at a time results in a waste of tissue sheets, as the user generally does not reinsert the extra tissue sheets back in the box. Additionally, such dispensing creates a perception in the mind of the user that the tissue box operates inefficiently.
A wider opening may permit dust or foreign particles to easily enter the box or settle onto the tissue sheets remaining in the box. Besides creating a pronounced unaesthetic effect, the next to be withdrawn tissue sheet often is rendered useless due to such accumulated dirt or dust.